Department of Salivary Biomarker Research and Studies (DERBS)

The Salivary Biomarker Research Department, co-directed by Prof. Deville de Périère and Prof. Hirtz, was born out of scientific partnerships between faculty researchers at the Odontology Department and the Clinical Biochemistry and Proteomics Laboratory (LBPC, CHU) and the Clinical Proteomics Platform at Montpellier University Hospital. The Clinical Biochemistry and Proteomics Laboratory (LBPC) in Montpellier specializes in clinical biomarker testing for neuropathologies and proteomics research. It is directed by Prof. Sylvain Lehmann and is located within the Institute for Research in Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapy (IRMB). The LBPC hosts a technological platform, the Clinical Proteomics Platform (PPC), directed by Prof. Christophe Hirtz (PU Dentistry).

It grew out of the scientific continuity of the first research team at the Faculty of Dentistry (EA 2988) led by Dominique Deville de Périère, which focused on salivary physiology and neuroendocrinology.

This research department, located on the Odontology Faculty campus, conducts clinical research projects focusing mainly on salivary biomarkers, but also more generally on biomarkers from the orofacial region (crevicular fluid, dental plaque, etc.). It offers nationally and internationally recognized expertise in biochemical analysis and clinical proteomics.

He was behind the creation of the first national bank of saliva samples stored at the Biological Resource Center (BRC) of Montpellier University Hospital (Prof. S. Lehmann, Prof. D. Deville de Périère).

Biomarkers Biochemistry/proteomics

For these projects, several technological approaches focused on the use of clinical samples and high-throughput analysis are available (design and implementation of quantitative and qualitative mass spectrometry methods, identification of proteins in biological matrices, ultra-sensitive and multiplex immunoassays).

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The PPC aims to exploit the latest technological developments in proteomics for the discovery, validation, and use of biomarkers in numerous human pathologies. As part of the Montpellier Proteome Cluster, certified by IBiSA, its goal is also to make medical, biological, and technical expertise in clinical proteomics available to academic and industrial teams. The PPC is ISO 9001-2015 certified.

Establishment of the first national saliva sample bank

The DERBS team at the Faculty of Dentistry, after establishing the first reference protocol for the preservation of saliva samples, was behind the creation of the first national bank of saliva samples and , more generally, samples from the oral cavity (crevicular fluid, dental plaque, etc.). This biobank, set up with the support of the University Hospital and the Montpellier Biological Resource Center, is under the responsibility of Prof. Dominique Deville de Périère (Faculty of Dentistry) and Prof. Sylvain Lehmann (CRB).

Projects

• AOI SALIVALZ (2011): The value of measuring Abeta42 peptide levels in saliva for the diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease
• AOI Blackstain (2016): Proteomic analysis of dental plaque in children with Black Stain
• Parksyn (2017): The value of measuring salivary alpha-synuclein levels compared to performing a DAT scan as a diagnostic aid in distinguishing between idiopathic Parkinson's disease and iatrogenic Parkinson's disease.
• BIOPARO (2017): Multiplex analysis of serum biomarkers in the saliva of patients with chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis using quantitative mass spectrometry (LC-MRM): feasibility study

Bibliography

• Hirtz C, Chevalier F, Centeno D, Egea J.C, Rossignol M, Sommerer N, Deville de Périère D (2005). Complexity of the human whole saliva proteome.Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry. 61(3):469-80.

• Hirtz C, Chevalier F, Centeno D, Rofidal V, Egea J.C, Rossignol M, Sommerer N, and Deville de Périère D (2005). MS characterization of multiple forms of alpha amylase in human saliva.Proteomics. 5(17):4597-607.

• Hirtz C, Chevalier F, Raingeard I, Egea JC, Sommerer N, Bringer J, Rossignol M, Deville de Périère D (2006). Salivary protein profiling in type 1 diabetes using 2-D electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.Clinical Proteomics. 2 (1-2): 117-128.

• Hirtz C, Chevalier F, Chay S, Frédéric Cuisinier, Sommerer N, Rossignol M, D Deville de Périère (2007). Proteomic Studies of Saliva: A Proposal for a Standardized Handling of Clinical Samples.Clinical Proteomics. 1559-0275-Online. 

• Morzel M, Neyraud E, Brignot H, Ducoroy P, Jeannin A, Lucchi G, Truntzer C, Canlet C, Tremblay-Franco M,Hirtz C, Gaillard S, Peretti N, Feron G. (2015) Multi-omics profiling reveals that eating difficulties developed consecutively to artificial nutrition in the neonatal period are associated with specific saliva composition.J Proteomics.128:105-12.

• Hirtz C,Vialaret J, Nowak N, Gabelle A, Deville de Périère D and Lehmann S (2016). Absolute quantification of 35 plasma biomarkers in human saliva using targeted mass spectrometry.Bioanalysis. Jan;8(1):43-53.